Jacey-Kate, her parents and her baby brother...

Brooklyn Tyler Kiefer

2011-12-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that 11 1/2 weeks have gone by and I haven't updated our blog. It's actually been longer than that since I've updated it, but life has been out of control crazy since our little Brooksie was born. Sept. 14th came and went...since then, our life as a family of four has been so much fun, so hard and so unbelievably rewarding all at the same time. I finally feel like I'm at a better place and adjusting to my new role as a mom of two. Brooks is precious! He just makes my heart so happy. Jacey-Kate LOVES her little brother and always seems to want my help when I sit down to nurse. I guess this is normal- she's a little mama, too. The slide show is a bit long, but it's about 3 months worth of pics. I tried to keep it all about Brooks since I've neglected to post about his precious little self for so long. I'm going to do better...when I actually have time!!! (maybe 20 years from now)

4th of July

2011-07-14T07:28:00.001-07:00

We had about a week long 4th of July this year. It was so much fun! We started celebrating in the mountains with my family on July 1st. My parents' community hosts an annual 4th of July Bar-B-Q which was so much fun. Jacey-Kate, Luke and Lily Anne got to walk in the parade and then chow down on one of the best bar-b-q pork sandwiches I've had.

Chad, Sarah Kate, Caroline and Grey came down to stay with us the 3rd-5th. Jacey-Kate's finally at an age where she can enjoy playing with them, and they are SO good with her. We had a blast as we always do. The 4th was full of excitement- we decorated the Williams' VW truck and then rode our golf cart in the parade, went to the pool, the guys drove to AL to buy fireworks and then made pizzas at the Olsens while waiting to shoot off fireworks. Unfortunately, it rained! The fireworks got moved to Wednesday night after the ice cream social.

My birthday flew by on Wednesday, but was one of the best yet. Russ and I took Jacey-Kate to the Children's Museum downtown. She of course ran wild and loved every minute of it. I think her favorite part was painting on the wall. We had lunch at one of my favorite places- Taqueria del Sol, then headed home. The Ice Cream Social started around 7:30- we had tons of ice cream and several amazing homemade varieties. Jacey-Kate was in hog heaven as you'll see in the pictures below; I think this was the longest she has sat still in her 2 years of life. The fireworks were a hit. Russ, Chad and Patrick did an amazing job setting them up and the show was the BEST I've seen. Jacey-Kate stayed up for the fireworks. She was a little scared at first and then she loved them and kept saying, "more sparkles, more sparkles". She sat with her Aunt Meg most of the show, she didn't want her mommy. Afterwards, we went back to our house and had Gigi's Cupcakes! OMG- they were yummy!

We ended our 4th of July week with Jacey-Kate's birthday and party. She had Sublime Happy Birthday donuts, a trip to get her big girl bed and bedding in Atlanta and then fun with Lulu and Dee that evening. Her Elmo birthday party was a hit! We had 10 children over for a couple of hours and we painted, played, and ate a lot! The kids were precious and were so well behaved. Thanks to my parents, Aunt Meg, Bonnie and Melea for helping with her party. Enjoy the pics from our fabulous 4th of July week!!

Almost 2...

2011-06-20T12:37:00.001-07:00

Spring has flown by and we are enjoying the beginning of summer, but could do without the 95 degree heat. We can't believe that Jacey-Kate will be 2 in 18 days. Jacey-Kate has had the opportunity to spend time with lots of friends that we don't get to see often. Here are pictures from the lake with Jake Taylor and his parents, our visit with Lucy Scroggins, baby Jake and baby Grayson. It's so fun to watch Jacey-Kate with a little baby. She gets so excited! I can't wait to see how she responds to our sweet baby this fall. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

The Children's Museum

2011-05-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the Children's Museum in Atlanta this morning with our good friends, Kerri and Jake. I couldn't believe how much the museum had to offer toddlers. We had so much fun! Can't wait to take Daddy back with us next time.

I LOVE....

2011-05-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

This will make your day!

Spring 2011

2011-05-16T17:57:00.001-07:00

We have lots to report- I've been MIA with blogging. I should get better, but I seem to get worse at it. Maybe a sticky note will help. Our picture slideshow is a quick recap of the past two months. Russ and I went to Turks & Caicos for 5 days which was an amazing experience. Only 3 hours from Atlanta on Delta, gotta love that! Check out www.amanyara.com to see where we stayed for part of our trip. Aunt Laura babysat while we were on our much needed vacation. We are so lucky to have family willing to babysit Jacey-Kate. She has a blast and learned about her new friend, ELMO, while we were gone. Jacey-Kate has also gotten to visit with Lulu and Dee a few times over the last two months. Dee even taught her how to draw fun animals on her chalkboard. When I walked upstairs and saw the chalkboard full of my dad's drawings, it reminded me of the old days when he used to draw for me. Great memories!

Jacey-Kate has had lots of fun play dates recently. We went to see Lily's new home in Alpharetta and we've had lots of fun Fridays in Serenbe with our neighborhood friends since the weather has been so lovely. Easter weekend was so much fun this year. We kicked it off by buying 6 baby chicks for the Easter Egg Hunt. They lived with us for about 5 days and then Russ decided it was time to get rid of them. Jacey-Kate loved the "bock bocks" and would sit down and say, "hold bock bocks" every time she saw them. She wasn't into finding Easter Eggs this year, maybe next year. Easter lunch was delicious, we enjoyed it with our neighbors, Meghan and Patrick, and then went to a pig roast.

Pop pop and Nee Nee flew down and babysat while we were in Highlands, NC for a weekend. They had so much fun with Jacey-Kate and even got her to eat a healthy snack! That didn't last long, so they may need to come visit more often. :-) Jacey-Kate loves playing with her daddy's ipad and she knows exactly how to work it. She has a folder of games and she can unlock it, open the folder and open all of the games. It's crazy to think how her little mind can grasp technology at such an early age.

We found out last Friday that we're definitely having a boy! We're all thrilled and Jacey-Kate says, "baby brotha" whenever she sees my belly or the ultrasound pictures. We know she's going to be a GREAT big sister because we babysat my niece for 5 days and all Jacey-Kate wanted to do was play with "baby Anne". The minute that kid woke up, all she asked for was baby Anne. It was so much fun seeing her interact with her cousin and watching her be a little mommy. We can't wait until September 30th! Don't ask about a name because we haven't been able to agree on anything yet. I'm hoping Russ will give in if I hold out long enough. Ha, Ha- Just Kidding!

Mother's Day should have been a GREAT day, but my little one had a 105 degree fever and ended up with Hand, Mouth, Foot virus. That is no fun at all, but it's the life of a toddler. We've been very fortunate that she hasn't been that sick, so I guess a little bumpy rash will have to do.

Our slideshow concludes with pics from Woodward's Graduation. We weren't able to get pictures with all of the kids that have been a blessing in our lives over the past four years, but the few we got are so precious to us. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach at WA and to get to know such amazing students and families. I'm going to miss seeing these faces weekly at FCA, but I'm so excited to see where the next chapter in their lives lead them.

Jacey-Kate's BIG News

2011-03-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, Jacey-Kate and her parents have BIG news!! Jacey-Kate's going to be a BIG sister and we just found out that she's going to have a little BROTHER! We are all so excited. Jacey-Kate loves looking at the ultrasound pictures and says, "baybay". She's going to be a wonderful big sister. I'm glad to be in my second trimester and am looking forward to the little baby bump to come.

2011-03-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of fun at the Kiefer house this month! Jacey-Kate went to stay with her Vu-Vu and Dee for a night and just loved Dee this trip. She got to open a few late Christmas presents from her Aunt Kellie and Gigi. She actually figured out how to unwrap the presents. Sad for mommy since she loves opening presents, too!

January and February 2011

2011-02-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Jacey-Kate has had so many fun adventures over the last two months. She had her 18 month check up where she figured out she could hide from her doctor in the fire truck exam table cabinet. It snowed at the beginning of January, so we were able to sled and enjoy the week off with daddy. Aunt Yumi came to visit and we got to have lunch with great grandma Faye, grand uncle Alan and grand aunt Pat. We also surprised daddy at his office, that was so much fun to see where daddy spends all his time when he's away from us. Today we fed the baby lambs at Serenbe which was just too precious. We love living in a community where there are baby animals being born year round. The weather this week has been off to an amazing start, we're loving the 60 degree weather and hoping it continues to warm up! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hoping to post more often now that I'm at home again. My long term sub position at Woodward Academy was great, but confirmed that my role now is at home with my sweet little girl. She is a little girl now....definitely not a baby any more. Jacey-Kate makes us laugh all the time now. She's doing something new every day. Russ and I love watching her experience life, it's going by too quickly. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fall 2010

2010-11-23T14:11:00.001-08:00

I have been a slacker lately, mainly because I'm back at work full time at Woodward Academy. I've enjoyed teaching again, but not enough to leave my little girl every day. I feel like I miss so much and she's doing new things almost daily. This long term sub position has been a great test, but I'm looking forward to being done in 3 weeks.

We've had a wonderful fall! Russ cheered on the Buckeyes and of course Jacey-Kate and I have cheered on the Roll Tides! We've been disappointed, but hey, as long as we beat Michigan and Auburn it'll be all good in the Kiefer house.

Russ' family visited in October which was so nice because they were able to babysit while I was at work and spend lots of one on one time with Jacey-Kate. Mary Jo made Jacey-Kate's cupcake costume for Halloween. Of course I'm a little biased, but I think she was the hit of the party! It will be hard to beat that idea next year. We had a lot of fun with them while they were here and look forward to visiting at Christmas. Keeping our fingers crossed for snow.

This morning I took Jacey-Kate to ride the Pink Pig. It was so much fun and brought back childhood memories. I hope she'll really enjoy it next year. We went to see Santa, too. That didn't go over so well. Mommy had to sit with Jacey-Kate and she still screamed.

We head up to my parents' tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Sustakovitchs. We're lucky this year, we get two Thanksgivings! I need to bring out my maternity pants again. :-)

Hope you have a Happy Happy Thanksgiving!
Eat lots of turkey.

Beach Trip

2010-09-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Jacey-Kate and I flew to Myrtle Beach, SC Tuesday evening and enjoyed 2 1/2 days of gorgeous beach weather and fun with the family. Wish we could have stayed longer and that Russ could have been with us. We ate incredible seafood while we were there. Christy and I are so lucky being married to such wonderful cooks! Jared grilled grouper, shrimp and tuna while Christy fried buffalo shrimp. We had so much fun at the beach. Jacey-Kate skipped her morning nap because she was playing so hard...and eating so much sand! Mom and dad were so great playing with Jacey-Kate, Luke and Lily Anne. Jacey-Kate loved her newest cousin! I think she's going to be the BEST big sister. Enjoy the pics!

Summer Visit to Michigan

2010-08-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a FUN visit to see Russ' family in Holland, Michigan. Our long weekend was packed full of swimming, swinging, eating, shopping, games and playing with Jacey-Kate. We watched two sunsets at Lake Michigan which were gorgeous. Russ, Mary Jo and Laura are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Jacey-Kate loved swinging on the swing set at the beach and the park. Wish we all lived closer! Enjoy the pictures.

Jacey-Kate at 13 Months

2010-08-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

I love Jacey-Kate being ONE. She is so much fun and makes Russ and I laugh all the time. Within the last month, she has started talking more, saying a few words, but mostly babbling. She is into everything and loves practicing walking with her lion walker and her car walker! We have a hard time keeping up with her because she's on the go and never sits still.

We just got back from spending the night at the lake with my brother's family. Jacey-Kate loved seeing her cousins, but I think she really enjoyed her first boat ride. We all played in the lake and enjoyed our time together. Next week, we're headed to see Russ' family in Michigan. We're very excited to experience Michigan in the summer time!

Jacey-Kate Turns ONE!

2010-07-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Our precious little girl is ONE. She survived us!!! Jacey-Kate's actual birthday was very low key. Russ and I woke her up by singing happy birthday to her and then the two of us enjoyed her day as we usually do playing, napping and eating. The following Saturday, we had her birthday party and it was a blast. Thanks to all her buddies and our friends who joined us to celebrate Jacey-Cakes. The party was supposed to be out by the trampoline in our neighborhood, but thank goodness it rained, so we had to move it inside where it was nice and cool. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to have a 1st birthday party in the 90 degree heat. Never again. Our wonderful and generous friend, Lindsey McIntosh, took pictures for us. She's an amazing photographer, check out her work at www.lindseymcintoshphotography.com you just might want to book a session!!

4th of July

2010-07-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a blast here in Serenbe. We had our good friends, the Bozzas, down for the weekend which added to all the fun. Saturday Russ, Chad and our neighbor, Jeff, drove to Alabama and spent a ridiculous amount of money that was raised for the fireworks show on fireworks. They got buy one get one free fireworks, so if you're ever in the market for fireworks, go on July 3rd. That evening was the 3rd annual 4th of July Pot Luck at Lisa and Cindy's home in the Crossroads. There was great food and wonderful neighbors there, it was a lot of fun.

Sunday morning Russ took the girls blueberry picking and then we made blueberry waffles for breakfast. Mid-morning we decorated our next door neighbor's, Ross and Rebecca's, 1964 vw truck for the Chatt Hills Parade. The kids who live in our area of the neighborhood got to ride in the back of the truck while they threw candy out which mainly hit their parents in the head. :-) That night we cooked out at the Olsen's, two doors down and then walked to the Grange lake to watch the fireworks. I think our husbands had way too much fun shooting off all the fireworks, it was a great show which lasted for about a half hour.

Today we've been super lazy and have enjoyed hanging out on our front porch and napping while Jacey-Kate naps. Tomorrow we're headed to Six Flags for my 32nd birthday!!! What a weekend!!! We're looking forward to the arrival of our niece, Lily Anne, on Wednesday. But the most important event this week is celebrating Jacey-Kate's first birthday on Thursday! Lots going on in the Kiefer family....stay tuned.

Birthday Weekend

2010-06-29T05:47:00.001-07:00

Jacey-Kate had a great weekend with her Auntie Yumi visiting Friday and Saturday and then two 1st birthday parties. We celebrated Lily McIntosh and Jake Taylor on Sunday. It was a busy afternoon, but tons of fun. Russ and I are getting a glimpse of what Jacey-Kate's 1st birthday party will be like....lots of CAKE all over Jacey-Kate's face!!! Our daughter loves to give kisses, you'll see in the photos below.

11 Months

2010-06-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Jacey-Kate's 11 month birthday! I can't believe in one more month my tiny 6 lb 4oz baby girl will be a year old. Everyone continues to tell me how fast it goes. We're having so much fun with Jacey-Kate. Her personality is really starting to show. She's so funny and loves to laugh and smile. Lately she's learned how to feed the dogs while she's feeding herself dinner, but her biggest accomplishment has been standing up on her own. She's going to be walking before we know it!

Brazil

2010-05-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

Our first big trip away from Jacey-Kate was to Brazil over the past week. We left on the 15th and returned well rested on the 24th. Jacey-Kate stayed with Gigi at Big Canoe the night of the 15th, Kara's parents the first half of the week and then Russ' family the second half of the week. I'm not sure she even missed us! We had a wonderful time and experienced a beautiful remote beach in northern Brazil where we took dune buggy rides, swam in lagoons full of rain water, ate fresh fish and shrimp, and watched unbelievable sunsets. The slideshow below is pictures from our trip and the time she spent with her grandparents. (mom...there weren't any pics of you, next trip give dad the camera. :-))

Athens Trip

2010-05-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

We took a little trip to Athens, GA this past weekend for the Gardens of the World Ball at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens. We had a terrific time and met some really wonderful people. Jacey-Kate loved her first trip to Dawg country. Her daddy even said he'd be quite pleased if she chose to go to UGA...only because she'd be getting the Hope Scholarship and he wouldn't have to pay much for her college experience. :-)

We are home sick today. I think the weekend wore her out. Jacey-Kate had a 103.8 temperature this morning, so we ended up in the pediatrician's office most of the afternoon. There's a virus going around that her doctor thinks she might have caught. I'm hoping she's rid of it by tomorrow. We'll see.....

The pics are from a birthday party, athens and the gardens of the world ball. Enjoy!

The Zoo

2010-04-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Kerri and Jake, kindly took us to the zoo this past Friday. Jacey-Kate wore her Clemson TIGERS shirt so she'd fit right in with the Lions, TIGERS and bears. Upon arrival, we headed straight for the petting zoo, so Jacey-Kate and Jake could get out and pet the friendly goats, sheep and pigs. They enjoyed the farm animals, maybe not as much as the moms enjoyed taking their pictures with the farm animals. From the petting zoo, we bee lined it for the Lions, Gorillas and Panda Bears. It was fun walking our babies around the zoo trying to show them the animals. I'm sure Jacey-Kate had no idea what was going on, but she enjoyed all the people, kids and did love riding in Jake's Bob stroller. While looking through the pictures, make sure you try to spot the animals!!!

9 Months

2010-04-11T18:52:00.001-07:00

I know I keep saying I can't believe how quickly she's grown, but I can't. Jacey-Kate amazes me every day. She's turning into a little girl, not a tiny baby any more. I'd say I'm super sad about this, but I'm loving every minute of being her mom and watching her grow up before my eyes, so I'm not sad, I'm so excited to see what's next! Here are a few really cute pictures of her on her 9 month birthday and then one taken today with her daddy. So cute!!! There's nothing sweeter than a daddy with his little girl.

EASTER and cRaWLiNg

2010-04-05T18:30:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter in Serenbe. Jacey-Kate saw her first baby chick, baby duck and rabbit at the Serenbe Easter Egg Hunt. I love watching her reaction when she sees an animal. She screams every time she sees a furry creature.

Kara's parents drove down to spend the weekend with us. We put Jerry to work in the backyard while Theresa played with Jacey-Kate. Mom had the better end of the deal! Dad helped with our landscaping effort. It's slowly coming along. Russ made burgers for dinner, they were fantastic!! Dinner and the warm weather remind me that summer's just around the corner.

Sunday after church, we all headed over to Rob and Merry's for an afternoon of wine, cheese and a low country boil! The food was delicious. Russ, Tim and Rob outdid themselves. We ended the evening playing corn hole on the green in Serenbe.

The most exciting news is that our sweet baby girl started crawling today!!! She loves my iphone, so I put it across the room and she scooted her little self over there on all fours. She's still a little wobbly at it, but she gets where she wants to go. It's so cute.

8 months

2010-03-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's amazing as a parent how fast time goes by and how hard it is to remember your baby as an infant. I've visited with two friends recently that have newborns and I honestly don't remember Jacey-Kate that tiny, unless I look back at pictures or videos. I thought being home with Jacey-Kate would slowly allow her to grow up before my eyes, boy was I wrong. Our days are full of fun and fly by! We hang out, play, read books, go for walks, nap, visit with friends and eat...a lot. She still loves her baby mush that I make and is drinking well from her sippy cup.

This is Russ' last day working from home. He'll be starting a new job with Wilmington Trust in Buckhead this coming Monday. Jacey-Kate and I are very sad and will miss him terribly. We've gotten use to seeing daddy at breakfast, lunch and before dinner, so it's definitely going to be an adjustment period for the ladies of the house. We're hoping to make it in to the big city for lunch with daddy once a week.

Jacey-Kate is getting so big. Russ said today that she's not really a baby any more, but a little girl. She's sitting up well and so close to crawling. I've been a little worried about her not crawling yet, but then I remind myself that as soon as she starts, it's all over....she's going to be every where. Jacey-Kate loves to talk and does it constantly, just like her mommy. She might look like her daddy, but her actions so far are like her mommy...non-stop.

We had Russ' sister for a visit a couple of weeks ago and then had his grandfather and dad in town last week. Aunt Laura helped me make baby food and hair bows for Jacey-Kate. It's so nice to have a sister to do the fun creative girly stuff with. Great Grandman loved Jacey-Kate! Grandpa also had a great visit with her and was able to share his 60th birthday with us. We're so thankful for all of our family and for the time they have with us and more importantly, Jacey-Kate.

Charter School Pot Luck

2010-03-01T06:09:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the petition being finished and turned in, the project team hosted a pot luck. Despite the fierce wind and cool weather, there were a lot of excited families that attended. The kids weren't bothered by how cold it was, they were ready to jump on the trampoline and play corn hole. The food was great, some of the favorites were corn pudding, broccoli slaw, upside down pineapple cake and the chocolate rice krispy treats. We're all excited about the spring weather and look forward to many more charter school get togethers!